This invention relates to a method for stabilizing a cattail blossom in a condition having a natural appearance and texture so that the cattail blossom does not burst and shed seeds but remains intact for an extended period of time.
The Cattail is a wild plant that grows in swamps and marshes throughout temperate parts of the Northern Hemisphere. On the Pacific Coast, cattails are known as tule-reeds. Cattails occur in a number of varieties. The Common Cattail (Typha latifolia) grows to about ten to thirteen feet in height and has large blossoms. The Narrowleaf Cattail (Typha angustifolia) is a smaller variety that grows to about six feet in height and has a blossom that is five to eight inches in length and one-half to three quarters of an inch in diameter. Other varieties include the Southern Cattail (Typha domingensis) and the Blue Cattail (Typha Glauca).
Florists typically use the blossoms of the smaller Narrowleaf Cattail (Typha angustifolia) as decorative items or to decorate floral arrangements. Cattails can be harvested throughout the United States in wetland areas between June and October. Each year, a large supply of cattail blossoms becomes available to florists in late summer.
Unfortunately, cattail blossoms have one significant disadvantage for florists and their customers. Nature did not design cattail blossoms to be a decorative item but rather a means for broadcasting seeds. A cattail blossom is a generally cylindrical mass of tightly packed seeds containing between 100,000 and 300,000 seeds. These seeds have bristly, silky hairs that aid in wind dispersal. At maturity and usually under dry conditions, a cattail blossom will burst and release its seeds. A cattail blossom will usually burst sometime in the late Fall or early Winter. Although this is a highly effective means for dispersing many thousands of seeds, this significantly reduces the value and usefulness of cattail blossoms as a decorative item.
Accordingly, a primary object of the subject invention is to provide a method for treating cattail blossoms so that they do not burst under dry conditions and remain intact indefinitely. Another object of the subject invention is to provide a method for treating cattail blossoms so that they have a natural appearance and texture even when treated.
These objects may be attained by mixing a combination of mineral spirits, paint thinner and adhesive, maintaining that mixture at a warm temperature, dipping a cattail blossom into the mixture until it is completely soaked, removing the cattail blossom from the mixture and then drying the cattail blossom.
The above described process is easy and inexpensive to conduct and adds greatly to the value of cattail blossoms in the florist market. Cattails thus treated can now be painted or decorated with ornamental designs such as university logos, business logos or animal designs. Because cattails treated with the above described process will maintain their shape and appearance indefinitely, the cost and effort of decorating and painting such ornamental cattails is acceptable.